What is fair selection in recruiting and promotion?

Fair selection refers to the process of selecting candidates based on their skills, attributes and loyalty rather than on personal favour, nepotism or discrimination. What ‘fair’ means can vary depending on the stance a business takes towards the concept. Some examples of what fair selection can include:

• The opportunities candidates and employees are given to perform to the best of their abilities;
• Candidates are provided the right accommodations for any disabilities that they might have;
• Candidates and hires are provided honest, clear feedback which aids their further development;
• Candidates are able to engage in a two-way conversation and offer input during the interview process;
• Candidates and employees are treated with equal respect and amicability;
• Prospective hires with prior records are still considered for roles
• Choices regarding candidates are not based on unconscious bias , rather, they are based on the demonstrable skills and interpersonal qualities that they have.

Why is fair hiring important?

There is both a strong ethical and business case for treating people fairly in the workplace. This is because employees who believe that they are being treated fairly may be more productive and committed to the organisation – therefore potentially reducing turnover. This contributes to a strong brand image as well, which can attract new candidates and make a business more competitive in the labour market.

According to LaFawn Davis, Indeed’s Senior Vice President of Environmental, Social and Governance, improving workplace accessibility can help employers to tap into a wider range of talent and skill profiles. This can be achieved through remote or hybrid work opportunities, for example. She says that: ‘By re-framing our approach and rethinking what’s possible, we can cast a wider net and expand our talent pool, making the labour market more accessible, one job at a time’.

Fair chance hiring

Fair chance hiring is a specific kind of fair selection. Indeed explains that a prior record can create lifelong obstacles to candidates finding a job. Using this type of hiring can widen the talent pool by considering candidates with a prior background. We found that employees with a prior background can perform better and stick with their jobs longer than those without.

The UK law on discrimination

As acting in a non-discriminatory way can be considered a kind of fairness, this can be part of a business’s fair hiring practices. UK businesses are also required by law not to discriminate towards employees, candidates, clients and customers. The UK government states that it is against the law to discriminate against someone because of a protected characteristic such as their age, gender, sexuality or religion.

This extends to job advertisements. Employers are not allowed to state or imply in a job advert that they will discriminate against anyone. This includes saying that the employer is not able to cater to workers with disabilities. For more information on this visit the UK government website.

The UK government also states that employers should provide accommodations to candidates with disabilities during the interview process. Employers can ask a candidate if they require a reasonable adjustment to the recruitment process. This can include: 

• Having interviews on the first floor for wheelchair users;
• Providing computers for candidates during any written tests.

Ways businesses can improve fair hiring and promotion

While fairness is a broad concept, there are many practical ways that businesses can help to develop better fair hiring and promotion practices. In this next section, we will highlight key areas that can be improved and provide practical suggestions for employers to consider.

Developing fair processes before using them

Focus on creating fair processes before setting them in motion. For example, consider working out how to make every step of the hiring process consistently fair. That’s because any hiring decisions will have a long-lasting impact and will contribute towards the public perception of company branding and values. The steps you could take include:

• Work with HR and/or law professionals to establish what ‘fairness’ means, as well as what principles the business will abide by.
• Consider how you’ll identify and measure fairness. This could involve outlining the criteria the business will use to do this.
• Examine your entire employee lifecycle and identify areas which could have fairness-related outcomes. For example, whether there are any pay gaps in the organisation. Or, whether interviews are accessible to candidates with a disability.
• Identify actionable areas for improvement, as well as where the business is succeeding in meeting fairness targets. 
• Discuss how to make weak areas more fair alongside HR, diverse employee resource groups and/or law professionals with experience in equity and fairness. Create solutions for these weak areas.
• Put solutions into practice and record their outcomes. 
• Revisit the employee lifecycle regularly to ensure outcomes are fair. 

Ensure fairness throughout the organisational structure

Create a holistic approach to fairness across all aspects of organisational culture, including policies and communications that support fairness and a conscientious approach to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). This can also include building line management strategies that place fairness at the centre.

Look at low-cost solutions to fairness, such as providing explanations for hiring decisions, promotions or other decisions relating to employee performance.

Approach communications both internally and externally with transparency. For instance, the selection process the company uses to select a candidate, as well as how testing is relevant to the job the employer is hiring for.

Stereotype threat

Another step towards fairness can be tackling what is known as ‘stereotype threat’. This is a psychological term to describe a phenomenon where individuals may be concerned that they conform to negative stereotypical traits.

Sometimes stereotype threat can emerge when a candidate or employee feels singled-out or isolated during a meeting or interview. It can also emerge when it is presumed that a candidate or employee will perform in a certain way because of characteristics such as age, gender or race. 

For example, a common stereotype is that men excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. A female engineer being interviewed by a panel of only men may feel that she is unlikely to succeed in the role because she is the only woman in the room.

Companies therefore can benefit from being mindful of having a diverse interview panel. They can also be mindful of asking the same questions of women and men so they have a fair compensation when evaluating candidates.

On tests for leadership skills, women may also underperform due to preconceived ideas about men making better leaders. Mixed representation role models in a company’s management positions and ensuring that teams have a strongly mixed representation can also help to deter this kind of stereotype threat.

The concept of fairness might vary from one business to another, but principles will remain similar. Fairness is often about providing candidates and employees with equitable opportunities where they have the ability to fully showcase their talents. While businesses might be already committed to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, examining the concept of fairness helps them to challenge their idea of what makes a fair interview, working environment or communications approach.